The Liger's Mark

by Lacey Thorn

  Gabriel knew who he was by the scent he carried. He’d smelled it on his mate. This was the friend, the former lover, the one who knew Gabriel’s mate intimately, and the one who’d taken a bullet trying to protect her. Holt. Gabriel didn’t bother trying to throttle the snarl as he stepped inside and shut the door behind him.

  “Tone it down, asshole. I’m the one who stuck beside her while you did the fuck and bail routine,” Holt said in a hard tone. The white bandage around his upper arm stood out in stark relief against his tan skin. Even that did nothing to calm the beast inside Gabriel.

  “The only thing preventing me from ripping your throat out right now is the fact there’s no lust rolling off you for my mate,” he retorted with a snarl.

  “Funny, I got the impression she was more of a one-night stand for you,” Holt stated.

  Gabriel clenched his hands into fists and went to step around the other man, but Holt countered, moving back in front of him.

  “Get out of my way,” Gabriel ordered.

  “Focus and listen, dickwad. They must have caught her in the shower. Dart in her shoulder and thigh. They wrapped her up so tightly I wasn’t sure she could even breathe. I put her in the car, and we headed here as soon as we spoke to you.”

  “Did you find the darts?”

  Holt gave a sharp nod. “Tossed on the bathroom floor.”

  “Any idea how much was in them?”

  Holt shook his head. “Too much for someone as little as Kenzie. I bagged them. I’ll get them to the professor and Diane as soon as we get back. With the luck we’ve had lately with that damn feral virus in stuff, I had no choice but to call you.”

  “I’m her mate,” Gabriel reasserted.

  Holt snorted. “Not from where I’m standing.”

  “Anything else I should know,” Gabriel said, ignoring the blatant jab. It was no less than he deserved.

  “Yeah, it looks like they banged her up pretty good. She has multiple bruises on her stomach, arms and legs, and a nice size knot on her head. She’s ice cold, and… She hasn’t woken up. I was trying to warm her up,” Holt stated with a voice gone gruff with emotion. Concern, fear and anger poured off of him. Gabriel’s eyes followed as Holt stooped to grab his shirt and shoes from a nearby chair.

  Gabriel’s chest vibrated with the roar he was barely holding inside at the thought of Holt holding Kenzie’s naked body in his arms. The man might understand what Holt had been trying to do, but Gabriel’s beast wasn’t so forgiving.

  “I’ll take care of her,” Gabriel growled.

  “Like you did the last time you were with her?” Holt asked, his words an obvious taunt to the beast. “I think she can do without that type of care.”

  Kenzie moaned behind them, and Gabriel could hear the chatter of her teeth. The anger he’d sensed coming from Holt disappeared, and this time when he met Gabriel’s gaze there was no animosity.

  “Just help her,” Holt pleaded. “Bring her back, and I’ll take care of her when you leave again.”

  “My mate doesn’t require anyone but me to take care of her,” Gabriel said with a grunt as he moved to the bed and got his first look at Kenzie.

  “You’d have to stick around first,” Holt muttered then Gabriel heard the door open and click shut as he was left alone with Kenzie.

  He crossed to stand beside the bed, gazing at her. God, she was the most beautiful woman. Long waves of silky brown hair tumbled around her head and shoulders, falling around her in wild disarray. He’d give anything to see her blink those big brown eyes of hers open and tell him to go to hell. When he’d watched her walk through the woods in Colorado toward him, he’d fixated on how tiny she was, over a foot smaller than him. He’d been afraid of breaking her with the fierce desire that consumed him at her touch. Her size was deceptive, though. She was strong, stronger than him. She just didn’t realize it, yet. Unable to deny himself the soft touch of her skin, he reached down to touch her cheek and encountered the burn of ice against his fingers.

  “What did I do to you?” he whispered as he began shedding his clothing. He owed Holt a debt he’d never be able to repay though he was sure the other man would never see it that way. He’d wanted to say thank you, but the beast was too much in control at the moment for him to do much more than growl and snarl. It wouldn’t ease until their mate opened her eyes.

  He sat beside her to remove his boots and socks and groaned as she curled into his side as if she were seeking his heat. He made quick work of the laces and shoved his pants and boxers down as he stood, leaving it all in a pile as he joined Kenzie on the bed. This time he pulled the blankets back and the beast eased slightly when he realized Holt had wrapped her in a blanket before joining her in the bed. Gabriel tugged it away and caught his breath at the sight of her stiff nipples, so hard and tight his mouth grew moist at the thought of suckling her there.

  He slipped under the covers with her, shivering as she moved toward him before he could even reach out to haul her closer. Her chilled skin worried him more than anything. He crooned to her, whispering meaningless words while he opened himself completely to the beast inside, allowing the animal’s keener senses full control.

  His liger howled, filled with rage. He let the animal’s instincts guide him, and without questioning, he bent to her shoulder and bit down on the mark he’d already placed on her. He licked over it again and again. It wasn’t as potent as his blood, but shifter saliva was a powerful substance in and of itself. His bite provided a way to transfer some of his unique antibodies into her. It helped build their connection. He pulled her impossibly closer and touched her lips with his, dipping his tongue inside and moaning as she latched on and sucked it before following it back into his mouth where he returned the favor.

  “Hold on to me,” he whispered in her ear. “Let me be your warmth, your strength.”

  She whimpered, burrowing into his chest with her cold nose, her knees almost unmanning him as she curled them into his groin seeking warmth. He groaned as his cock surged to life. He wanted her, needed her like he needed air to breathe, and it scared the hell out of him.

  He tried to repeat his oath in his head.

  My life is not my own. I am the hand of justice. The executioner.

  The beast demanded something else as they held their mate. One word resonated, drowning out everything else.

  Mine.

  Chapter Six

  Kenzie blinked her eyes slowly open. Despite the darkness, she knew in an instant she wasn’t in the motel room. Memories shuffled inside her head, her last clear thought returning to the men who’d darted her. She tensed, one hand going to her shoulder, the other to her thigh. Had she dreamed it?

  The mattress dipped behind her, and it finally clicked she wasn’t alone. Arms wrapped around her, tugging her back against a massive chest and an equally impressive erection. Recognition set it as the animal inside her seemed to purr with joy and contentment. Gabriel. Furthermore, she was naked in the bed with him. She hated the way her body responded to him. Hell, she was lucky she hadn’t woken up humping his leg. Her head knew she needed him—to deal with the extreme fluctuations in body temperature, to deal with the awakening animal. Her heart wasn’t there, yet.

  “Where are we?” she whispered.

  “Cabin,” he murmured against her neck.

  “I’m not big on cabins, lately. Bad memories,” she said, rolling over onto her back and letting her gaze soak him in.

  “Yeah, well, you were knocked out, and we needed to move you somewhere safe until you woke up,” he stated with a grunt.

  “How long have I been out?”

  “Five days,” he said, and a shudder went through him.

  She jerked up in bed beside him, the sheet falling to her lap as she stared at him incredulously. “Five days?”

  He nodded, and she pulled the sheet up to cover her breasts as his gaze kept straying there.

  She glanced around the room. “Bathroom?”

  He pointed behind her.
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  “I’ll be right back.” She started to reach for something to cover her, but her bladder was adamant that she hurry. He’d seen her naked before, anyway. She tried to clear her mind while in there, taking a few moments to wash her hands and splash cool water on her face before heading out to join him. She was still fuzzy and angry with her mate. Both were a bit hard to shake off. He held the cover back, and she slid in without comment. Her legs were a bit shaky. Better to sit than to fall.

  “What happened?”

  “They hit you with two darts,” Gabriel said. “You were like ice when I got to you. Scared the hell out of me.”

  She shrugged then, swallowing the nasty retort hovering on her tongue about not knowing he cared. Obviously, he did. He was here. When Holt had called for help, Gabriel had come. That had to mean something.

  “I hope I didn’t pull you away from something important,” she said instead.

  He sat up, and when the sheet fell to his lap, there was no missing the tenting of the material. She clenched her thighs as her pussy grew damp with need. Bastard. It wasn’t fair that she wanted him so much.

  “I’m learning just how unimportant some things are, and how much others really mean,” he surprised her by saying. “You matter to me, and when I thought I might lose you for good…” He shook his head. “It’s not a feeling I ever want to face again.”

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “I was hoping you could tell me,” Gabriel said. “Holt said he, Reed and Dusty were standing outside, talking and keeping watch while you rested. Four guys came out of nowhere, pinning them down with gunfire.”

  “Are they okay? How did I not hear that? Or anyone else? Oh, God! Were the police called?” Kenzie peppered him with questions as her anxiety grew.

  “No police,” Gabriel assured her. “These guys were well trained and well equipped. Your friend Dusty said they had silencers. Made it hard as hell for them to figure out where the group of hunters were firing from. As it was, it took precious minutes for Reed to move around and come in behind them. He’s pretty sure he shot one of them. That’s when they saw two men heading out of your room with you wrapped up and thrown over a shoulder. Holt immediately went after you. He kept them from taking you.”

  “Is he okay?” Kenzie demanded. She’d never forgive herself if he’d been hurt trying to get to her.

  There was a distinct rumble in Gabriel’s chest, and Kenzie knew he didn’t like her concern for another man. He’d have to learn to deal with it. Holt was her best friend, and that wouldn’t change, especially when it would only be a matter of time before her mate left her again.

  “He’s fine,” Gabriel grunted out then cleared his throat. “Took a bullet graze to the upper arm, but it’s not much more than a scratch.”

  Kenzie made to move away, and Gabriel clasped her arm.

  “I should go check on him,” she said. “Make sure he’s okay.”

  “Your friend can wait, mate,” Gabriel grumbled. “What’s going on? Why do you have hunters on your ass? It’s more than obvious they were only after you.”

  “Don’t do that,” Kenzie admonished. “It’s not fair.”

  “Wanting to know what the hell is going on isn’t fair?”

  “No, calling me mate. We’ve had sex. It takes more than that to make us mates.”

  His gaze narrowed, nostrils flaring as he glared. He tugged her to him until she was straddling his lap, sheet forgotten as skin met skin. She braced her hands on his shoulders, her nipples beading into hard points against his chest. His cock rose between her thighs, kissing her moist folds. It would be so easy to reach down and hold him steady while she took him.

  “We are mates,” he asserted. “I left. I had no other choice at the time. Someone’s life depended on me getting to them. I was following the hunting party that ending up taking you. I needed answers, and I got them before I killed each and every one of them. Had you not been my mate, had I been able to keep my hands off you, I would have left sooner.”

  “If I hadn’t forced your hand?” she sneered angrily.

  “No one forces me to do anything,” Gabriel stated arrogantly. “I would have come back for you. Nothing would have stopped me from mating you. As it is, I was expecting to find you in Oklahoma, safe.”

  “You certainly said otherwise.”

  “I was shocked, caught completely by surprise. Those words were as much to remind me of what I needed to do, who I needed to be, as they were to warn you away from me. You deserve a man far better than what you have in me. I’m hard and at times unforgiving. I’ve taken lives with no remorse, and I’ll do so again. I’m demanding and selfish. I never expected to find you, but now that I have, you are mine. My mark declares it. My beast roars with the knowledge of it. I don’t deserve you, but I’ll be damned if I let you go.”

  “Does that mean you’re going to give us a chance to get to know one another? To build the type of bond most mates have? Does it mean you’re staying with me?” Kenzie demanded, heart in her throat.

  “I’m the Angel, and I can’t change that no matter what others think. I fight. I hunt. I rescue, and I kill. There will be times when I leave you, when I have no other choice. I’ll always come back. As long as there is life in me, I’ll return to you,” he promised.

  “I don’t know if I can live that way,” she disclosed. “I won’t spend my life waiting for a man to find time for me.”

  “That’s not how it’ll be,” he said.

  “Really? Because it sounds to me like that’s exactly how it will be.” She held her hand up when he went to say something else. “Stop. You’re either with me or you’re not. It’s that simple.”

  “Nothing is easy,” he charged. “Nice try, by the way. You’ve successfully diverted the conversation for a few minutes. I still want answers. Why are there hunters after you?”

  “You mean other than the fact I’m a shifter?” Kenzie asked and sat back, her ass settling on his rock hard thighs, which were at least still covered by the sheet. His cock, however, bobbed in front of her, drawing her wandering gaze again and again. “Do something about that,” she commanded, waving her hand at his crotch.

  “Anything particular you have in mind?” he asked with a purr. “Or should I just go with instinct?”

  She swallowed, lust riding her hard. Her body craved Gabriel. The animal inside panted at the thought of taking every inch of his glorious erection inside, or maybe that was just the woman. She had the urge to bend down and taste him, just one slide of her tongue from tip to base and back up again.

  “Is that a yes?” he asked, voice soft and soothing.

  She forced her gaze back to his. “You wanted answers.”

  “We can do both,” he offered. “I’m great at multi-tasking.”

  She had a feeling giving in to him sexually would weaken her stance, weaken her resolve to settle for no less than an equal partnership. As much as she craved him, she couldn’t give in.

  “Let’s talk,” she said and shifted reluctantly off his lap before sliding back under the cover and pulling it up over her breasts. She nodded pointedly at his lap and almost busted a blood vessel forcing her attention to stay focused on his face.

  He jerked a pillow over his lap instead and nodded at her. “Why are they after you?”

  “I don’t know,” she answered and repeated it when he gave her a look of disbelief. “I really don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to find out, but I’m not getting any answers. I was hoping there would be some in the box…” She trailed off and looked around.

  “What box?” Gabriel asked.

  “I was given a box that contained stuff left for me by the woman I thought was my birth mother. I’m sure Holt grabbed it for me.”

  There was that rumble of displeasure in his chest again. “Why would your birth mother leave you a box?”

  “I should probably start from the beginning,” Kenzie said then shook her head.

  “What?”

  “I�
�m realizing how little we actually know about each other.” She rubbed her fingers over the spot where he’d bitten her.

  “Do you think others who have mated knew everything about each other when they first met?”

  “Maybe not,” she admitted. “They learned over the first few weeks they were together.”

  “I robbed us both of that,” he admitted huskily. “I hurt you, and for that I’m incredibly sorry. I’d give anything to remove that emotion from your eyes.”

  “You can,” she told him, but they both knew they were at a stalemate there. She needed one thing, and he truly believed he wouldn’t be able to accommodate her wish.

  “Let me introduce you to Kenzie Marshall, the woman behind the mate mark. I was left in a hospital when I was weeks old. Abandoned. I made it into the foster system, where I got shuffled between homes until the Marshalls adopted me. They tried to understand me, to accept me, but I was an unusual child, and my unique abilities made people uneasy.”

  “Your animal spirit?” he asked.

  “The heightened animal senses and instincts were there—sense of smell, hearing. The Marshalls grew scared of me, but despite their fear, they kept me until I graduated from high school. I stayed in contact with a social worker named Ms. Karsey. She promised to give me information on my birth parents if I still wanted it when I turned eighteen.”

  “So they knew who left you?” he asked.

  “According to Ms. Karsey, the woman checked on me a few times through the years, to see how I was adjusting.”

  “The woman was watching to see if your beast emerged. I’m guessing she checked at twelve and again at sixteen,” he stated.

  “Yes,” Kenzie agreed with a nod.

  Both of those ages when animal emergence often occurred in a shifter. Something to do with hormone changes during puberty. Some developed the symbiotic relationship with their animal side early, while others waited until later in life. Sometimes the beast was so still and silent inside that a shifter never became aware it was there until a time of extreme crisis or danger. There were so many variables where shifting was concerned.